Merlin Stayed All Winter
It was nice to see the Merlin on the water tower at 101st and Central Park west again. I think it has stayed all winter.
Lonely Eastern Screech-Owl
Tonight was bitter sweet. The park’s resident Screech-Owl was back in a spot she has used more frequently in the fall. She looked great and I was happy to see her in good health. (Screech-owls generally switch between a few cavities to roost, and I haven’t been able to find her alternative locations over the past few weeks.)
After fly out, she called almost immediately and continued to call for over an hour. When I left she was still calling. Now is the time she would normally be starting to brood, but without a mate she was just calling and calling.
Sleeping Together
I’m enjoying getting to know Pale Male’s new mate. On Friday and Saturday, I got to see a great deal of her and Pale Male.
On Friday evening she was on the antenna of a building at 79th and Fifth.
On Saturday, I got to see a great show. It began with Pale Male eating a Blue Jay. After he was done eating his new mate arrived and they went up to the nest building. One sat on the roof and one was in the nest. It happened quickly and I could not tell who was who.
Then they moved further uptown. After a brief perch on a building on Fifth Avenue, Pale Male when to sleep on a tree at the base of Cedar Hill. His mate went to a nearby tree and played cat and mouse with a squirrel, before joining Pale Male on the same branch.
It was great to see them roosting together. I think she’s the one.
Wood Duck On Ice
I was walking out of the park around 8 p.m. this evening via The Pond at 59th Street. Looking out on the ice, I saw a group of Mallards sleeping on the ice, when one of the ducks caught my eye. It was one of the two Wood Ducks that have been hanging out on The Pond this winter.
Owls in the Wind
The three Long-eared Owls are continuing to roost in Central Park. Tonight after a very warm day, high winds at dusk made owl watching and photography difficult. Most of my exposures at fly out are about half a second long, so I had blurry picture after blurry picture! Lucky some made the cut.
New Female On Fifth Avenue
After Lola disappeared in December, a fairly dark female appeared on the scene. After a few weeks, this relationship didn’t work out and she left the park.
Pale Male now has a second “girlfriend”. They seem to be much more of a couple and I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes the permanent mate.
